Enter stage left.

Canadian politics has finally found some public interest. This week the Canadian press was quickly learning the ropes for live coverage of political happenings. The result was only slightly more compelling drama than CPAC; however, I find the attention and its surrounding discussion titillating — finally Canadians are becoming as interested in their own politics as they are in American politics.

It is my hope that this turmoil establishes a new precedent for how the Prime Minister is selected. The current tradition of allowing the party with a plurality in the House of Commons to form the government has worked, but it does not necessarily seem the most representative of the election results. We currently have a majority of sitting members representing party platforms best described as centre through centre-left, and yet the sole right-wing party controls the legislative agenda with a minority of the seats. In a situation where the opposition parties present to the Governor General an option to form government through a coalition representing a majority of the House I believe it is her to duty to genuinely consider this option.

While I met the decision of the Governor General Thursday to prorogue parliament with great chagrin, after a few times through explaining the nature of the situation and the implications it carries I have started to develop a bit of sympathy for her move. I still do not think it was necessarily appropriate — the request to prorogue was based upon avoiding a vote on a legitimate motion before the House, and therefore can only be described as meddling with parliamentary business — but I am starting to appreciate that it is necessary to allow this to play out in the public sphere before the government is dissolved. Whether the motion was allowed or denied we are charting territory without precedent, and giving some time for this to be debated and weighed by Canadians will help assure that no one feels the move rash, and that at the very least they were given an opportunity to express their opinion. It would have been most interesting, but admittedly a bit inappropriate, to see a plebiscite issued on the matter: we could have had a more formal campaign, and an opportunity to directly voice our opinion.

One thing that is disappointing about the timing of this showdown is that the members of the proposed coalition are not in a position to present a clear alternative to replace Prime Minister Harper. Of course, Stéphane Dion would fill the role if necessary, but apart from my appreciation of him as insightful and well-reasoned man, the election campaign and the maneuvering in the House prior to that have demonstrated him a poor fit for the office. I’m unsure how they would manage this within their own governance regulations, but I feel it imperative that the Liberal party establish its new leader before parliament returns on January 26th.

I remain hopeful a more left-wing coalition will assume the stage in the New Year and am excited for a month of debate.